But the Seahawks (4-0) would have never executed the comeback that sent them undefeated into Sunday's showdown at Lucas Oil Stadium against the Indianapolis Colts without Wilson's magic.

On a day in which he struggled passing, throwing for just 123 yards, Wilson burned the Texans with his scrambling. He had two huge runs on a 98-yard TD drive in the fourth quarter, and another key run in overtime.

So much for the spy - linebacker Whitney Mercilus - that the Texans assigned to keep up with Wilson.

It didn't work. Wilson rushed 10 times for 77 yards.

Maybe the Colts will take a page from the same strategy book?

"It depends on who that spy is, and how fast that guy is," Colts coach Chuck Pagano said.

In typical NFL doublespeak, Pagano wouldn't disclose whether the Colts will try to contain Wilson with a spy.

"If it's 007, sure," he said, pressed on the matter. "Superman? Yeah. If he had an 'S' on his chest? Sure."

No doubt, Wilson has kept Pagano and defensive coordinator Greg Manusky up a bit longer this week. They can design a plan to bottle up Marshawn Lynch and take away receivers Sidney Rice or Golden Tate, only to have the short, overlooked quarterback put a torch to it by improvising to move the chains.

Seattle might be the most balanced team in the NFL, with a swaggering, big-play defense and power rushing attack centered around Lynch.

But Wilson is so difficult to prepare for.

Forget that since Week 1, when he passed for a career-high 320 yards at Carolina, he has not thrown for more than 202 yards in a game. Although his 24 pass attempts per game are fewest for a starting NFL quarterback this season, he's been efficient with a 95.3 passer rating.

Never mind that four quarterbacks - Michael Vick, Aaron Pryor, Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick - have rushed for more yards than Wilson. It's a matter of doing what's needed at the moment. In that regard, none have been better than Wilson, who was bypassed until the third round last year because he didn't possess the ideal NFL quarterback dimensions.

The kid, all 5-10 of him, just has this uncanny knack for producing magic at the right time. That's a huge reason why the Seahawks are 4-0 for the first time in franchise history and have nine consecutive regular-season victories dating to last season.

"We know he's a nightmare and we've seen what he can do," Pagano said.

Indianapolis' eighth-ranked defense has improved against the run, but that begs for context. The Colts were shredded by Pryor for 112 rushing yards in Week 2.

How much stress will Wilson put on the unit?

"You want to rush, you want to go after him, but you've got to be disciplined," said Pagano. "A lot of times with quarterbacks like him and facing the Michael Vicks of the world, if you overdo it and overcook it, you won't get any rush because everybody will be sitting there and just kind of playing paddy-cake with the offensive linemen trying to keep him corralled, keep him in the pocket, so to speak. You've got to rush him and you've got to keep pressure on him, but you've got to be extremely disciplined.

"We certainly know he can make all the throws from the pocket, and he's scarier outside the pocket. Some of the throws we've seen on tape, whether he breaks out to the right, spins over the shoulder once he feels pressure on this side and gets out, he's as accurate as all get-out, whether he's in the pocket or on the run. So we've got our hands full."

What an intriguing subplot for Sunday.

Robert Mathis is wary.

"You can't let up," said Mathis, the Pro Bowl Colts linebacker who is tied for the NFL lead with 7½ sacks. "We've got to make him rush his reads."

Other items to ponder as Week 5 rolls on

Dealing with Peyton: Now it's the Dallas Cowboys' turn to try slowing the Peyton Manning train. Good luck. Manning (NFL-best 138.0 passer rating, 16 TDs, 0 picks) is off to the best start of his career, and the Denver Broncos have averaged 44.8 points per game. Dallas has played better defense under new coordinator Monte Kiffin, and the unit is tied for third in the NFL with 14 sacks. So, with DeMarcus Ware coming off the edge, the notion of forcing Manning off his spot with a consistent pass rush should be included in any plan. But the Cowboys got lit up by Philip Rivers for a 400-yard game last weekend, and the Broncos have allowed the second-fewest sacks in the NFL (5). Besides, as Tony Dungy pointed out on NBC, Manning may know the Kiffin defense better than the Cowboys - given that he practiced against Dungy's Tampa 2 D for more than a decade with the Colts. What gives Dallas its best chance? Playing keepaway. With a big rushing game from DeMarco Murray that controls the clock, the Cowboys would have a chance at reducing the possessions that Manning gets to direct. At least that's a thought.

Lambeau Leap? The Detroit Lions ended decades of ineptitude in Week 3 when they won at Washington for the first time since 1934. Now Detroit (3-1) stares at another horrendous streak as it heads into Sunday's road game against the Green Bay Packers. The Lions have lost 22 consecutive road games in Wisconsin, the longest road losing streak by any team against an opponent. The streak dates back to the pre-Brett Favre era, with the last Detroit win in Green Bay coming in 1991. In recent years, it has pretty much been a pattern of Aaron Rodgers (and even Matt Flynn) slicing up an overmatched secondary. Will it happen again? Maybe. But Detroit has injury-prone safety Louis Delmas back on the field. When he's healthy, he's one of the best in the game. He's shown that again this season. The Lions have never taken Reggie Bush to Green Bay, either, so maybe that makes a difference - especially when considering the trouble the Packers had with Bengals rookie running back Giovani Bernard. In any event, if the Lions are to ever break through and win the NFC North, they'll need to win in Lambeau. Last weekend, Detroit finally handled the Chicago Bears after losing nine of the previous 10 matchups. If they can buck another trend this weekend, it would stamp the Lions as a legit contender for the division crown. If not, Green Bay (1-2) repositions itself as trouble on the rise.

Who's hot? Jimmy Graham. With three consecutive 100-yard receiving games, the freakish tight end is yet another symbol of the flow that has been re-established with the undefeated New Orleans Saints. And here's a scary proposition for opposing defenses: He's getting better. Graham ranks second in the NFL with 458 receiving yards (the Atlanta Falcons' Julio Jones has 481), and with eight of his 27 catches gaining at least 20 yards, he stretches the field better than most wideouts. And he scores. Graham is tied with Wes Welker for the NFL lead with six receiving TDs, which puts him one shy of the mark established by Mike Ditka (1963) and Antonio Gates (2010) for most by a tight end through five games and on pace to seriously threaten Rob Gronkowski's single-season record of 17. This all represents a major problem on Sunday for the Bears, who have had difficulty covering the deep seams downfield.

Pressure's on: Mike Smith. Maybe there's a hangover after blowing a 20-point lead at home in the NFC title game last season. Through the first quarter of the season, the Falcons (1-3) don't look like anybody's Super Bowl contender. That's the standard now given the solid program Smith and GM Thomas Dimitroff have built. But to take the next step, the Falcons must eliminate their horrible habit of squandering opportunity. They couldn't finish the job against the San Francisco 49ers in the title game, and with each of their losses this season - at New Orleans, at Miami and against New England - they have blown it in crunch time. It's not all on Smith, whose team has been stung by a massive injury toll. The issues in the red zone, which really came to light in the loss to the Patriots, also fall on quarterback Matt Ryan. It's one thing to have a prolific offense loaded with weapons such as Jones, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez. It's another thing to have an offense that can't be trusted with points at stake and in short-yardage situations, where the Falcons have also struggled. Smith probably isn't on the hot seat in the conventional sense as it relates to job security. But if the Falcons plummet from being at the doorstep of the Super Bowl to a team that can't make the playoffs, the questions will undoubtedly intensify.

Rookie watch: Kenbrell Thompkins. Resourcefulness has long been a defining mark of Bill Belichick's success with the Patriots, who have injuries like every other team in the league but head into Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals with a 4-0 record. And Thompkins, heading back to the city where he played college ball the previous two seasons, is a sterling example of how that resourcefulness is playing out at the moment, with New England still awaiting the return of key weapons Gronkowski and Danny Amendola. Thompkins is third in the NFL for catches among rookies (15). It's also notable that the top two rookie leaders (DeAndre Hopkins, Tavon Austin) were first-round picks. Thompkins made the Patriots as an undrafted free agent. In recent weeks, there's been no reason for Tom Brady to fume on the sideline over the mistakes of his rookie receivers - including Thompkins and Aaron Dobson - as the two-time MVP did during a Week 2 squeaker against the New York Jets. The connection with the young targets is evolving, and particularly with Thompkins. After scoring his first two NFL TDs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3, Thompkins came back last Sunday at Atlanta with his first 100-yard game.

Stomach for an upset: Jacksonville Jaguars at St. Louis Rams. Given the pitiful performance of a last-place offense that has scored just three TDs all season (13 fewer than Manning has thrown for), it is not a stretch to wonder if Jacksonville can win a game this season. Sure, it's early. But glance at the schedule, and maybe the best chance for the Jags to rid themselves of the potentially mounting 0-16 projection comes at the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday when they face a disappointing young Rams squad (1-3) that has had its own issues with a 30th-ranked offense and surprisingly hasn't been as ferocious on defense as projected. Jacksonville gets talented wideout Justin Blackmon back from his four-game suspension for multiple DUIs. Now let's see if the Jags can utilize him to exploit a secondary that could be without crafty-but-struggling cornerback Cortland Finnegan, listed as doubtful with a thigh injury. If the Jags don't get the W this week, then 0-6 is a given. Next week, they go to Denver, where there will be zero chance for an upset.

Next man up: Ryan Fitzpatrick. Just when Jake Locker hit his stride as the emerging young quarterback the Tennessee Titans were hoping for - he has the NFL's sixth-best passer rating (99.0), with no picks - he is sidelined for at least a month with a hip injury. That leaves Fitzpatrick to maintain the vibe of an impressive 3-1 start. A key indicator will be turnovers. Tennessee is the only team in the league that hasn't given the ball away, which happened to be the root of Fitzpatrick's flame-out with the Buffalo Bills. He threw 54 picks in three years with the Bills and fumbled 23 times. Now comes a matchup on Sunday against a Kansas City Chiefs defense that has forced an AFC-high 12 turnovers. Fitzpatrick's arm strength will also attract scrutiny. Last season, he completed just 27.5% of his throws of 20-plus yards, lowest among NFL starters, according to Pro Football Focus. So if Fitzpatrick is going to prove the Titans didn't blow it by releasing Matt Hasselbeck, he will have to reverse some trends.

Stat's the fact: Since passing for a career-high 412 yards in the season-opening win against the Packers, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has thrown for a total for 444 yards in his past three games, 30th in the NFL over that span.